Rationalization and competition in segmented markets have fuelled the increased use of flavours and flavoring substances in today's food, cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries. Natural flavours or flavorings are generally weaker in performance but offer a better flavour perception compared to synthetic ones and as such are generally preferred. Commercial methods for extracting flavours and flavorings include steam distillation, hydrodiffusion, infusion and enzyme assisted extractions. One drawback to presently produced natural flavorings is the high cost. The methods currently used for the manufacture of flavoring extracts and the solvents employed in extracting them control their desirable natural and sensory properties and also their cost.
Prior art knowledge in extractions of flavorings includes water-based methods such as decoction and infusion, a version of which is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,832,951 (Chang-Diaz). U.S. Pat. No. 3,732,111 (Berner et al) teaches the use of heated vegetable oil to extract the antioxidant principles of spices. The flavours are subsequently removed by sparging with steam at 175.degree. C. U.S. Pat. No. 4,681,769 (Bennett III et al) teaches the extraction of spice oleoresins at room temperature using edible oil to produce two products; oleoresin extract and fortified edible oil. Prior art knowledge in extractions of flavorings in oils have also been used in the extraction of essential oils. Some processes such as that disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 2,571,867 (Hall et al) teach the use of essential oil of spice for the extraction of a spice solid. Others such as U.S. Pat. No. 3,071,475 (Stohr) teach the preparation of a suspension of herb powders and flakes in a heated edible oil. Other methods currently available which promise cleaner recovery, such as carbon dioxide extraction, are more costly.
Extraction methods involving the use of chemicals or solvents have drawbacks including thermal degradation or modification of the extract (as occurs with steam distillation, solvent extraction), chemical degradation or modification of the extract (as occurs with hydrodiffusion, infusion and solvent extraction) and the presence of undesirable but inevitable residual solvents in the extracts (as occurs with solvent extraction). Low-temperature enzyme-assisted extractions in water remain characteristically inefficient because the flavours or flavorings produced are generally not completely soluble in water. The extracts produced by the prior methods are mostly the volatile compounds which may only partially represent the total flavoring system in the commodity. However, the non-volatile fractions could be of great importance in the aroma, taste and true fidelity of the plant material. One problem which this invention is intended to solve therefore is to seek to provide a flavoring extract containing both the volatile and non-volatile portions of the commodity flavoring system which does not contain any traces of solvent. In some particular applications, notably cooking and baking some of the flavorings are destabilized or destroyed. One problem therefore which this invention seeks to address is to provide a heat-stable extract.
The method of the present invention is cost efficient, no solvents are used, and the flavorings extracted are stable at the high temperatures normally employed in extrusion and bakery applications. Further stabilization of the flavorings produced by this invention and enhanced convenience in use are attained by encapsulation--encapsulation is an attractive approach to transform liquid flavorings into stable, free flowing powders which are easy to handle and use.